Improvement in steam safety-valves



UNITED STATES PATENT OEErcE l GEORGE w.RIOHaRDsON, OE rrROY, `AND HENRY WATERMAN, OE EUDsON,

. l NEW YORK. p

IM PROVEM ENT` `l N STEAM SAFETY-VALVES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 83,320, dated October 20, i868.

To all whom it lmcm/ concern."

Be it known that we, GEORGE W. Rica,` ARDSON, of Troy, in the county of Rensselaer, in the State of New York, and HENRY WATER- MAN, of Hudson, in the county of Columbia, in the State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Safety-Valve for Steam- Generators; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full and eXact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to an improvement in lock-up safety-valves;77 and it consists in novel devices for that purpose, and in their combination and arrangement, as will be fully described hereinafter.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

Fi gure l represents avertical section ,through the center, ofour lock-up safety-valve, in which are shown the valve A, the valve-seat B B, the spring C, the spider D D, the valve stem or spindle E, the ends 0f a forked lever, F F, the collar G, the cap H, the holding-down bolts I I, the lockup bar and cups J J, the staple K, the hole in the staple L, the steaminlet M, the steam-outlet N, and the main case O O. Fig. 2 represents a vertical section of the cap H, the lever F F, section of lock-up bar J J, and collar Gr. Fig. 3 represents a horizontal section of the case O 0 through the upper portion, so as to show the construction of the outlet-passages indicatedby the arrows. Fig.v 4 represents a plan of spider D D, with its cross-bars for the spring to bear upon. Fig. 5 represents a plan of lock-up bar and cups J J and staple K.

The valve A, being constructed with its overhanging part, and arranged upon its seat B B so that the escaping steam shall act upon its increased surface, is inserted in the case O O, as shown in Fig. l. The valve is held Or pressed downward `by the spring C, resting on the plate of the spindle or stem E, whose lower end drops into and rests on the valve. The spider D D, working into a female i screw in the upper vand inner surface of the outer case O O, by `means of its cross-bars rests upon the top of the spring G,and,`by turning this spider with a wrench, the pressure of the spring upon the valve may be varied at pleasure, and so the valve be adj usted to any required pressure of steam. When the valve is so adjusted the cap or cover H is put on,

n and, by means of its ange projecting downward, bears upon the spider D D and holds it firmly in its place, said cover being held in its position by means of the holding-down bolts I I. The screws and nuts of these holding-down bolts are then securely inclosed and concealed within the cups of the lock-up bar J J by means of the circular seats cast onto the cover, which circular seats also rise within the cups of the lock-up bar. Through the center of this lock-up bar is an aperture, through which passes the staple K, rising out of the center and top of the cap or cover H. Then means are provided for the insertion of a padlock, whose bolt shall clasp into this staple K, by which the whole device is locked together, so as not to allow any alteration of the pressure of the spring upon the valve. The semiannular steam-passage, too, indicated by the arrows in Fig. 3, and leading to the outletpassage N, eifectually bars out all approach to the spring by way of the outlet-passage N, so that when this lock-up safety-valve is constructed, adjusted, and locked up, as herein described, and attached to a steam-boiler, in the ordinary way, by means of a ilange or nipple, the pressure of steam upon the boiler is positively limited to the number of pounds at which the spring is set; nor can this limit 'of steam-pressure upon the boiler be varied without first unlocking the valve and readjustin g the pressure of the spring, as above described.

A lever, attached to the cover H by means of a pin acting as a fulcrum and projecting into the cavity of the cover H, bears upward against the collar G of the spindle by means of its forked ends F F, 'and so one may, by pressing downward upon the outer end of said lever, lift the valve and blow the steam off from the generator; It will readily be seen that this lever can be made to act only for this purpose, and cannot by any means be made to bear downward upon the spring or Valve.

What We claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The lock-up bar or arch J J, constructed substantially as shown and described.

2. The construction of the branch oreseape passage N, substantially in the manner shown and described, it being so arranged as to prevent tampering with the valve or its adjustments.

3. The combination of the valve A, spring C, spider D D, cap H, and lock-up bar J J, substantially as shown and described.

4. The arrangement of the branch escapepassage N with reference to the valve A and sprin g C.

5. The arrangement of the lock-up bar J J with reference to bolts I I, substantially' as shown and described.

6. The arrangement of the spider D D with reference to the spring C, substantially as shown.

7. The combination of the overhanging valve A, spring C, spindle E, and spider D D, or its equivalent, substantially as shown and described.

GEORGE W. RICHARDSON. HENRY WATERMAN.

Witnesses:

GEO. GoULD, W. H. POOR. 

